Mezcolanza
by Bendleshnitz
Summary: Written for HPCF. Mix of one-shots that will try to be missing moments. I don't promise anything . Different challenges each week, different characters, and probably different ratings too.
1. Hunting Past: Remus&Tonks

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters, they belong to JK Rowling.**  
House: **Hufflepuff**  
Prompt: **Water  
**A/N:** '_Mezcolanza_' is a colloquial word we use in Argentina that means basically "a messy mix". As many colloquial words in my country, it's a derivation from Italian.  
This story will be a recollection of one-shots for the HPFC on this website. It'll be updated every week fullfilling a different challenge. I'm going to try make each chapter a _missing moment_ from the books but that depends on how the challenges are (since I was warned by the mods that it'll be harder and harder to conect the one-shots). Thanks for reading and don't forget to review! :)**

* * *

Title:** Hunting Past  
**Pairing:** Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks  
**Rating:** PG  
**Prompt:** Water (used with two different meanings)  
**Word Count: **654  
**Beta:** leigh_adams (at livejournal)  
**Warnings:** None.  
**Summary:** Missing moment of DH; Teddy's birth.  
**A/N:** Originally written for the first challenge on the forum "Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges".

* * *

**Hunting Past**

Remus sat on the old couch by the fireplace, the couch that had once belonged to Ted Tonks. Under his tired eyes, the words of the book he was reading were becoming blurry. He placed his reading glasses on the coffee table as he rubbed his hands, suppressing a moan. Last week's full moon had left him more tired than usual, but there wasn't much time to rest. The Order needed him as well as Dora. With a baby on the way, his free time was dedicated to his worry. What if the baby had a problem because Remus was a werewolf? He would never forgive himself for that.

As he was marking the page he was just reading, Remus heard Dora scream. It wasn't a second before he reached the second floor of the house.

"Dora?" he called frantically when he didn't find her in their room. He had his wand in his hand, ready to curse whatever intruded their home.

"Remus!" Tonks cried from the bathroom.

Remus pushed open the door and found Tonks naked by the bath tub. One had supported her weight against the wall while her other hand clutched at her swollen stomach.

"Dora!" Lupin ran to her side, supporting her by the elbows. Water squished inside his old shoes from where it'd sloshed over the sides of the tub.

"My water just broke, Remus. Call my mum," she instructed, bending over and tightening her grip on Remus' arm.

"Alright. Let's take you to the bed first."

Guiding Tonks outside the bathroom as carefully and slowly as it was humanly possible, Remus' mind kept screaming, _'It's time. No turning back. You'll be a father now_'. He mentally shivered. Being a parent in times like these only incremented his fear. In his thirty-eight years of life, this was definitely the most scared he has ever been.

Once Dora was settled on their bed, he leaned forward to give her a gentle kiss on the forehead before he turned to run out of the room to look for Andromeda.

"Remus," Tonks called weakly. He turned around on the doorway to find her looking at him. Her dark eyes watered as she whispered, "I'm scared, Remus."

Looking at his confident and cheerful wife like that made all of his fears go away in a flash. He went to her side and hugged her comfortingly. "Everything is going to be alright," he whispered backing away and caressing her cheek. "We are going to have a baby!" he beamed, trying to cheer her up.

Tonks chuckled. A wide smile contrasted now the tears in her eyes. "We are," she repeated. "I love y- Aaahh!" Another contraction interrupted her.

"Oh, Merlin. I'll be right back!"

* * *

The moon had risen hours ago. Tonks was now sound asleep. Her long, mousy brown hair laid messily around her tired face. Seven hours of labour had exhausted her.

Remus cradled his son in his arms, sitting in the rocking chair beside the bed. His eyes travelled through his chubby face over and over again, still not believing that the baby in arms was _his_ baby.

"Ted John Lupin," he whispered aloud, but mostly to himself. Maybe if he repeated his son's name, it would all start to sink in. "Ted...My Teddy. I'm really sorry, son. I shouldn't have run away from you and your mum. You are both the most important thing I have in the world, you know that?" Teddy yawned widely in response, making Remus smile in bliss. "I can't believe I almost left- If something had happened to your mum or you, I-"

His words died in his throat when he felt Andromeda's hand on his shoulder. He closed his eyes, and he felt the tears burn behind his eyelids.

"All that is just water under the bridge, Remus," his mother-in-law said comfortingly, patting him on the back.

"It is," he agreed softly.


	2. The Meltdown: Hannah&Ernie

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters, they belong to JK Rowling.**  
House: **Hufflepuff**  
Prompt: **One of the characters must be in your house (Hannah Abbott and Ernie Macmillan)  
**A/N:** '_Mezcolanza_' is a colloquial word we use in Argentina that means basically "a messy mix". As many colloquial words in my country, it's a derivation from Italian.  
This story will be a recollection of one-shots for the HPFC on this website. It'll be updated every week fullfilling a different challenge. I'm going to try make each chapter a _missing moment_ from the books but that depends on how the challenges are (since I was warned by the mods that it'll be harder and harder to conect the one-shots). Thanks for reading and don't forget to review! :)

* * *

**Title:** The Meltdown  
**Pairing:** Hannah Abbott and Ernie Macmillan  
**Rating:** G  
**Prompt:** One of the two characters must be a Hufflepuff  
**Word Count: **725  
**Beta:** aigooism (at livejournal)  
**Warnings:** None.  
**Summary:** Missing moment from OotP; Hannah freaks out about the O.W.L.s  
**A/N:** Originally written for the second challenge on the forum "Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges".

* * *

**The Meltdown**

Hannah broke into a huge sob, mumbling the properties of Bubotuber Pus under her breath. Ernie looked from her to the Puffapods in front of them.

"Erm...Hannah, Professor Sprout asked how to harvest Puffapods, not Bubotuber Pus," he said to his friend, noticing everyone's eyes on them.

"I don't know!" she screamed at him. Her sobs making her choke due to lack of breath. "I don't know...how- how to harvest...Puffapods! I'm too stupid! I can't- I'm going to fail!"

"Fail what?" he asked in confusion.

"The O.W.L.s, you idiot!" she yelled, making Ernie take a step backwards.

"Oh dear..." Professor Sprout sighed, running to their side of the table. "Calm down, Miss Abbott. Breathe," she instructed when Hannah's face turned deep red. "I'm afraid she's the first one to have the O.W.L.s meltdowns. Mister Macmillan, would you take Miss Abbott to the Infirmary, please?"

"Me? She almost sets me on fire for asking her a question!" Ernie looked frantically at the Herbology teacher with fear in his eyes.

"Mister Macmillan, it wasn't really a suggestion. Take Miss Abbott to Madam Pomfrey," Sprout said sternly, leaving no room for discussion as she walked back to her desk and continuing her class.

"Let's go, Hannah," he mumbled, taking her by the elbow.

"I can't! I need to be in class! I can't cope with missing a class now. I- I need to study!" she kept screaming through her sobs.

"Miss Abbott, go with Macmillan," Professor Sprout said distractedly as she showed the rest of the class how to clean the Puffapods' leaves correctly.

With that, Ernie pulled the distraught girl out of the greenhouse, leaving their belongings behind. Hannah was still crying and muttering her insecurities as they reached the second floor.

"Hannah, seriously. You need to calm down. You will not fail," he reassured, looking intently at the floor.

"How- How do you know that? I'm so stupid I can't even remember the-"

Ernie slipped his arm around her shoulders as they walked down the hall to the Infirmary. "I will help you study. We'll study together; if you fail, I'll fail with you," he said with a wide smile. A smile that sobered up when Hannah cried even louder. "What? What did I do now?"

"We...cannot...fail! We are p-prefects! Prefects need...to...to be good st-students!" she sobbed into her hands, muffling her wails.

"Okay, you're right. Sorry." He lifted his hands in surrender. "I give up. Cry all you want," he said grumpily as he quickened his pace, leaving Hannah with no choice but to jog behind him.

"Wait! Ernie!" she said, but he suddenly stopped, opening the door to the Infirmary to her.

Madam Pomfrey was by their side the minute they crossed the doorway. "What seems to be the matter here?"

"O.W.L.s meltdown," Ernie said shortly pointing at Hannah. His expression showed boredom.

"Ha! The first one of the year! I was wondering why nobody has visited me yet. I suspect kids these days are not taking their exams as seriously as we did in my time," she said, dragging Hannah to the nearest bed and making her lie down on it. "Here. Calming Draught. You will feel better -and sleepy- in a second."

Hannah took the vial and rested her head on the pillow.

"Stay here for two hours. You, mister, can go back to class now," she said pointing at Ernie.

"Can he stay for a minute?" Hannah asked drowsily.

"Hm. Two minutes. I'm counting," Madam Pomfrey said in her strict voice, returning to her office and leaving them alone.

"Sorry I screamed at you, Ernie," Hannah mumbled with her eyes already closed.

Ernie sighed. "It's okay. I will probably scream at you in two weeks when I get my own meltdown," he teased, making her laugh softly.

"Thank you, Ernie," she said with a sigh.

He noticed she had fallen asleep right then and there. Her steady breathing making her chest rise and fall in a slow motion.

"Anytime, Hannah," he whispered, brushing his hand against hers before starting to leave the room. He stood a few feet away from her bed and turned to look at her sleeping form. "Oh, and by the way, you're not stupid, Hannah. Sweet dreams," he said softly with a small smile playing on the corner of his lips, before returning to his Herbology class.


	3. Not First Choice: Blaise&Daphne

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters, they belong to JK Rowling.**  
House: **Hufflepuff**  
Prompt: **Pair a given character (in my case, Blaise Zabini) with someone _not_ from my House.  
**A/N:** '_Mezcolanza_' is a colloquial word we use in Argentina that means basically "a messy mix". As many colloquial words in my country, it's a derivation from Italian.  
This story will be a recollection of one-shots for the HPFC on this website. It'll be updated every week fullfilling a different challenge. I'm going to try make each chapter a _missing moment_ from the books but that depends on how the challenges are (since I was warned by the mods that it'll be harder and harder to conect the one-shots). Thanks for reading and don't forget to review! :)

* * *

**Title:** Not First Choice**  
Pairing:** Blaise Zabini/Daphne Greengrass**  
Rating: **G**  
Prompt:** Blaise/Daphne in Honeydukes with the Chocolate Frog Card. (for rarepair_shorts)**  
Word Count:** 1271**  
Beta: **x_nothing_here and leigh_adams (at Livejournal)**  
Warnings: **None.  
**Summary:** Missing moment of HBP; Blaise's date with Daphne.  
**A/N**: Originally written for the fourth challenge on the forum "Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges". Also for Clue(do) on the LJ community: rarepair_shorts.

* * *

**Not First Choice**

The moment Dumbledore dismissed everyone, the deafening sound of students leaving for their rooms reached his ears. Every year it was the same thing. Trying to ignore the boisterous laughter around him, he dully stood up from his bench and made his way to the Slytherin common room, trailing behind the mass of students.

Blaise had just stepped out of the Great Hall when a petite blonde intercepted him.

"Hello, Blaise. Nice to see you. How was your summer?" she asked in a high pitched voice.

"Fine," Blaise answered curtly, trying to step around his fellow classmate.

"I'm pleased to hear that," she said elegantly, now walking beside him towards the dungeons. "I didn't see you on the train. Pansy said you were running some...errands?" Her hesitation showed him she had just picked on Parkinson fooling with her back in the train.

"I was in a meeting with Slughorn."

"The Potions professor? That's...nice. Did you have a good time?" she asked in fake curiosity.

Sighing deeply, Blaise came to an abrupt halt and turned to look at the girl. "What do you want, Greengrass?"

Daphne closed her eyes for a brief second and fidgeted on her feet nervously. After five seconds of silence, Blaise turned with a small "Alright" and continued walking to the common room.

"Wait!" she shouted before he could turn around the corner of the dark hall.

Without turning to look at her, Blaise prompted with an annoyed, "Well?"

He heard her take a deep breath before speaking. "My father." She walked again to his side as he turned to look at her. "He's been pestering me all summer about me being of a certain age and that I should start looking for a fine young man – meaning a Pureblood of course – to...date," she finished, blushing deeply.

Blaise examined the girl in detail. He watched her in silence, considering her proposition. His own mother had suggested the same thing a couple of times over the last few months, but he had barely paid her any attention. However, now her voice echoed in his head.

_...a respectable woman to wed in the near future. Our fortune is not everlasting. No wealth is, Blaise. You shall start looking for the right lady now if you do not want me to arrange this with Aloysius Parkinson. _

Mentally shivering at the idea of marrying someone like Pansy Parkinson, Blaise looked at Greengrass more closely. She was not bad looking; and her family's reputation was indeed something he was going to need after his mother's fiasco. Getting married seven times didn't give anyone dignity as she thought it did.

"Fine. First Hogsmeade weekend," he said shortly, resuming his walk to his room.

"Can I pick the place?" Daphne asked quickly following him.

"As long as it's not a place like Madam Puddifoot's," he warned, not showing any interest.

"Of course," she said with a nervous laugh that made Blaise doubt that was the place she had in mind.

* * *

"Blaise! I was-"

"Let's go," he cut her off without stopping to greet her.

Daphne huffed before struggling to keep up with his pace. "You know? If I knew you were going to be like this, I wouldn't have asked you. Of course, I didn't have much of a choice, but I thought you would-"

"You are telling me I wasn't your first choice and you expect me to be nice?" he asked in disbelief.

"Well...yes. Yes, I am. It is not like I was your first choice either. Everyone knows you think no one is good enough for you," Daphne said hastily as she interlaced her arm with his. "Let me tell you that you are not alone in that one."

Blaise was surprised at her last statement. He was certain she was going to tell him (like the other girls in the school) he was not better than any of them – well, except Mudbloods and Blood Traitors, of course. He noticed that she was also forward and determined. After all, she was bold enough to go and grab his arm as they walked to Hogsmeade. This girl was certainly different than any other he'd met before. He looked at her. Their differences in height let him see the top of her head. Her shinny, blonde hair danced around her with each step she took. The perfect waves of her locks caressed her delicate jaw.

"You're going to burn a hole in my head if you keep staring like that."

Taken out of his reverie, Blaise turned his gaze away from her and focused on the backs of three fourth year boys a few meters in front of them. "Sorry," he muttered as he felt his cheeks burning with embarrassment.

She chuckled, covering her mouth with her other hand. "It's alright. Anyway, as I was saying, no one is good enough for me either."

Blaise snorted loudly. "Humble girl, are you?"

"Look who's talking," she said rolling her eyes. "Let's be honest. There aren't many handsome boys to choose from in seventh year. And in our year...Malfoy is _Pansy's property_," she said in disdain. "Nott...well, it's no news about Nott's father," she whispered in secrecy.

Nott's father was now in Azkaban for being a Death Eater discovered by the Aurors at the Ministry. It was still a mystery what happened that night, but for all Blaise knew, he preferred it to stay that way. There was no joking around with the Dark Lord; and even if many (if not all) Slytherin's shared the same beliefs as him concerning blood purity, not everyone dared to become involved with His plans. Blaise supported the cause, but he wasn't devoted enough to risk his life for it. Knowing he was better than any Muggle and Mudblood was good enough for him.

"So that left you to choose between me, Crabbe or Goyle," he said, having a hard time keeping a straight face and not laughing at the idea of one of those idiots dating a girl like Daphne.

"You will know that by then there was no contest at all. Besides, you're not that bad after all," she said with a coy smile and softly elbowing his side.

Rather pleased with himself, Blaise didn't say anything as they continued walking to Hogsmeade. Letting her lead the way to the place of her choice, he was quite surprised when they entered Honeydukes. He looked at her quizzically and she just shrugged with an apologetic smile.

"We are actually going to The Three Broomsticks, but I'm one Chocolate Frog card away from completing my collection. Maybe you'll give me luck," she said winking before walking to the counter.

Rushing to her side, Blaise paid for the Chocolate Frog in Daphne's hand before she could even take out her own money. She smiled pleasantly at him, but he didn't miss the surprise in her eyes.

"For luck," he murmured shyly.

"Thank you," she said standing on her tiptoes and kissing him on the cheek.

The next thing he knew, Daphne was screaming happily, waving the card of Falcon Aesalon in his face.

"You _do_ bring me luck!" she praised throwing her arms around his neck and breathing heavily due to excitement, only a mere inch away from his face.

Not able to contain himself, Blaise closed the distance between them, locking his lips with hers in a short kiss. Suddenly remembering they were still in the middle of Honeydukes, he became aware of the people looking at them.

"Three Broomsticks?" she guessed, reading his eyes.

"Please," he said dramatically before grabbing her hand and guiding her out of the shop.


	4. Begin From The Start: Percy&Penelope

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters, they belong to JK Rowling.**  
House: **Hufflepuff**  
Prompt: **Characters from Houses not chosen in challenges 2 and 4. Inspiration from lyrics/quotes/etc (1 to 4 lines).  
**A/N:** '_Mezcolanza_' is a colloquial word we use in Argentina that means basically "a messy mix". As many colloquial words in my country, it's a derivation from Italian.

This story will be a recollection of one-shots for the HPFC on this website. It'll be updated every week fullfilling a different challenge. I'm going to try make each chapter a _missing moment_ from the books but that depends on how the challenges are (since I was warned by the mods that it'll be harder and harder to conect the one-shots). Thanks for reading and don't forget to review! :)

* * *

**Title:** Begin From The Start  
**Pairing:** Percy Weasley/Penelope Clearwater  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Prompt:** Percy/Penelope in a train compartment with a Remembrall (for rarepair_shorts)  
**Word Count:** 1979  
**Beta:** tania_sings (at LiveJournal)  
**Warnings: **Hormonal teenagers snogging. Canon compliant.  
**Summary**: Missing moment of SS/PS, CoS, PoA and GoF; Percy and Penelope's story.  
**A/N:** Originally written for the fifth challenge on the forum "Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges". Also for Clue(do) on the LJ community: rarepair_shorts.

* * *

**Begin From The Start**

_We were strangers starting out on our journey  
Never dreaming what we'd have to go through  
Now here we are and I'm suddenly standing  
At the beginning with you_

"At The Beginning" - Anastasia's Movie Soundtrack (1997)

**September 1st, 1991**

"Okay, Percy, you first," said Molly, holding Ginny's hand.

This would be his grand entrance. He was a prefect now and everyone would be looking at him, expecting him to begin his duties as soon as he arrived. Taking a deep breath, straightening his back and sticking out his chest, he hurried through the walls between Platforms Nine and Ten.

The heavy noise that characterized every September 1st reached his ears instantly. Pushing his glasses up his nose, Percy carried his trunk to the front of the train. His head was held high as he pushed his heavy luggage to one of the train compartments with a big P on the door -the compartments for Prefects-, trying not to show how much he was struggling.

_Don't show weakness. You're a Prefect. You need younger students to feel safe around you, and they won't if you can't even move a simple trunk_, he thought inwardly while inhaling deeply to recover his breath.

Finally able to stow his trunk in the first compartment, he proceeded to take out his school robes, which were neatly folded at the top. As he was the first to arrive, he closed the door and started to change his clothes.

Percy was just in his pants, sliding his trousers over one leg, when the door suddenly slid open. Turning hastily, he saw a wide-eyed brunette blushing furiously.

"Oh! Sorry!" she said, quickly closing the door.

Percy could still see her silhouette through the closed window as he finished getting dressed.

"I'm really sorry! I'll be out in a minute!" he said to the girl through the closed door.

"It's...it's fine," she said nervously. "Can- Can I ask you a question?"

Percy's hands froze in the process of sliding the button through he buttonhole. He was so embarrassed that he couldn't even imagine what she could ask him. "S-Sure.."

"I just found a Remembrall outside. Is it yours?"

He saw her shadow holding a small ball in its hand.

"No. Must be from another student. Most probably one from first year," he said as he finished dressing, relaxing a bit with the change of subject.

"Oh, well... I'll ask during the ride then."

Once he finished putting on his school robes, he smoothed the shinning Prefect badge on his chest one more time. His hands were shaking nervously as he opened the door again. The girl was still in the hall, biting furiously her nails and looking at the Remembrall.

"I'm really sorry! I should have knocked-" she started saying the minute she saw him.

"No, please. Let _me_ apologise. I thought I had locked the door," he finished confused.

She offered him a sympathetic smile in response. "You're Percival Weasley, aren't you?" she suddenly asked.

"Percy," he corrected instinctively. "I'm sorry, have we met before?"

"No, but you are the new Gryffindor Prefect I take it," she said, pointing at his badge. "I'm one of the Ravenclaw Prefects. I memorized the names of all the Prefects," she added, blushing again. "Sounds kind of perfectionist, doesn't it? My dad is the football coach of the Oxford University and he's always insisting on being _one step ahead_," the brunette finished, chuckling and rolling her eyes.

"I understand," Percy said with a smile, trying to hide the fact that he had no idea what football was. "So, you memorized all the names of the Prefects? That's very smart. I wish I had thought about it..."

"I can help you if you want," she offered kindly.

"Yes, that would be perfect! Oh, but I'm afraid I'll have to say goodbye to my mother first. She'll go looking for me all over if not."

"That's alright. I'm sure my mum won't mind a '_one last hug_' either way. Meet you here in few minutes?"

"Absolutely," he said starting to leave the train one more time. "Oh! I believe I don't know your name yet."

"Penelope. Penelope Clearwater," she said with a bright smile.

"See you in a moment, Penelope," he said softly returning her smile.

* * *

**August 9th, 1992**

The minute they were out of Gringotts, Percy glanced at the clock over the big door. Penelope would be waiting for him. He had told her he was going to be in Diagon Alley buying everything for Hogwarts with his family, and she agreed to meet him there.

"I need another quill. I'll be right back," he mumbled to his mother before he made his way through the crowd without looking back.

In front of Ollivander's, Penelope was waiting for him, pacing back forth. She seemed to be biting her nails, something she only did when she was nervous.

"Penny."

She turned around at the sound of his voice and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

"Percy! It's so good to see you!"

"It's good to see you too, Penny," he said with a smile.

"The letters are great but there's nothing like talking in person," she said with a chuckle.

"I agree."

An awkward silence took over then. Percy felt his hands starting to get sweaty. What should he do? He had never had a girlfriend before and now that he did, he didn't know what to do.

Their friendship had grown stronger during their fifth year and they had exchanged letters daily all summer long. Two weeks ago, he asked her to be his girlfriend. Percy still couldn't believe his luck when she agreed. However, seeing her for the first time as more than just his friend added a lot of pressure and none of them knew how to act.

Both stared at the floor as families walked around them. Lifting his gaze, he looked at her blushing face. She looked beautiful and Percy couldn't help but wonder what kissing her would feel like. He had never kissed anyone before.

"Penny, I..." he started saying, but the second her green eyes found his he couldn't think anymore.

Percy didn't know what possessed him to do something like that. Of all the times he had imagined kissing her, he had never been so...impulsive. However, at the time, he couldn't stop his body as it leaned forward. It would have been perfect if only he had a good aim, because as closed his eyes, the next thing he felt was his nose and forehead hitting hers.

"Ouch!" Penelope said cradling her nose between her hands.

Percy felt like dying. This wasn't supposed to be like this. First kisses are supposed to be slow and tender. He was sure his head was going to explode as his cheeks burned in embarrassment. With a quick apology, he turned away and ran to the first shop he could find, leaving Penelope behind.

* * *

**September 4th, 1993**

His hands slid around her waist as he nibbled the tender skin of her neck. Penelope moaned softly when Percy pressed her harder against the wall, bucking his hips against hers. He felt her fingers sliding through his curly hair and pulling softly at it with each little sigh and gasp she made. Keeping one hand on her narrow waist, he slid the other on under her shirt caressing her smooth stomach as it moved upwards to finally cup her left breast. Teasing her through the cotton fabric of her bra, Percy kissed and bit the skin right under her ear, marking her as his.

"You'll leave a mark," she said, holding back a moan.

"Exactly," he groaned, moving his hips against hers once again.

"Who...would have...thought you'd be...like this...a year...ago?" she gasped with difficulty as Percy's hand slid under her bra, now massaging her breast with surprising skill.

He chuckled, moving his lips back to hers and kissing her deeply. "I learn fast," he whispered quickly before sucking on her lower lip hungrily.

* * *

**August 29th, 1994**

"Percy, you cannot work all day long. It's not healthy! Come on, let's go eat something in the village. Your mum said it would-"

"I can't. I need to work. Mister Crouch was very upset after what happened during the Quidditch World Cup. I don't have time for leisure," Percy said angrily.

After the Death Eaters attack, Percy had been in charge of coping with the large number of Howlers from the disgruntled and frightened public. This was his opportunity to make Mister Crouch notice him and he knew he had to work twice as hard as he had worked during the summer.

However, that meant putting his personal life on hold - something that, of course, upset Penelope.

"You know, I agree. You don't have time for '_leisure_' anymore. Seeing as I'm just _that_, I'll make sure I won't distract you anymore. Goodbye," she spat, storming out of the room.

* * *

**September 1st, 2018**

"Come on, Lucy. We are running late," Percy said, pushing his youngest daughter's trunk.

The eleven-year-old followed him at her own pace. Percy knew Lucy did things at her own speed, that she didn't like to be rushed, but the ticking of the huge clock made him more nervous second by second as it grew louder to his ears.

He spotted Molly rushing to greet a group of girls a few meters from them as he levitated Lucy's trunk to the nearest compartment.

"Now, Lucy, do you have everything?" Percy asked worriedly. He had checked on her luggage the night before and found that she hadn't packed her school uniform, so nothing was for certain when it came to his distracted daughter. He swore if she weren't so alike him in looks he would have serious doubts about him being her father.

"Yes."

He kneeled in front of her. "Are you sure? Have you packed the Remembrall I bought you?"

"Umm..."

"Remembrall? I believe this is yours then," a woman said behind him.

When he turned around, he saw a brunette smiling widely with Lucy's Remembrall in her hand.

"Penny?" he gasped.

"Hi, Percy. It's been a while, huh?" Penelope said, hugging him.

He was in shock. It's been years since he had last seen her. A few years after their break up, they had kept in contact, owling each other and seeing each other every once in a while. However, balancing life when each of them had a family to take care of, made their encounters more wide apart.

"A while indeed!" he said with a big smile.

"Is this your Remembrall, sweetie?" Penelope asked Lucy, who nodded eagerly and saved her father's gift back in her pocket.

"Thanks, Penny. I swear Lucy would lose her head if it weren't attached to her body," Percy said with a small smile, patting his daughter's shoulder.

"So I'm not witnessing a 'like father, like daughter' case then?" she joked with a wink.

He laughed. "No, she's definitely like her mother in that aspect."

"Oh, how's Audrey?"

"Great. Her book was released in the United States so she's doing the promoting tour-"

The whistle of the train interrupted Percy and he excused himself as he hurried Lucy to her compartment. Quickly saying goodbye to his daughters, he saw Penelope giving one last kiss to her son who was starting his first year too.

All too soon, he found himself looking longingly at the Hogwarts Express as it started disappearing from sight in the distance.

"Brings back memories, doesn't it?" Penelope commented by his side.

"Yes, it does. I remember this perverted girl asking if I had lost a Remembrall while I was half-nude," he commented idly, having a hard time keeping his serious expression.

"Oh, yes. I remember this nervous looking boy. An exhibitionist... I heard he worked in a famous strip club on Saturdays," she continued joking.

"He must be good. I mean, I'm sure he's very good looking."

"I've seen better," she said with a grin, making him laugh. "Do you have time for a coffee?"

He glanced at the clock. "I have a couple of hours, Madam."

"Great. You pay."

He chuckled. "Always one step ahead, aren't you?"

"Always."


	5. Sneak: Marietta Edgecombe

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters, they belong to JK Rowling.**  
House: **Hufflepuff**  
Prompt: **Characters from Houses not chosen in challenges 2, 4 and 5 (or least chosen). Write a missing moment that we know happened but couldn't see in the books in first person.  
**A/N:** '_Mezcolanza_' is a colloquial word we use in Argentina that means basically "a messy mix". As many colloquial words in my country, it's a derivation from Italian.

This story will be a recollection of one-shots for the HPFC on this website. It'll be updated every week fullfilling a different challenge. I'm going to try make each chapter a _missing moment_ from the books but that depends on how the challenges are (since I was warned by the mods that it'll be harder and harder to conect the one-shots). Thanks for reading and don't forget to review! :)

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**Title:** Sneak  
**Characters:** Marietta Edgecombe & Dolores Umbridge  
**Rating:** G  
**Prompt:** Missing moment that we know happened but we didn't see written in first person.  
**Word Count:** 1331  
**Beta:** alexa_black (at LiveJournal)  
**Warnings:** None.  
**Summary:** Missing moment of OotP; Marietta tells Umbridge about the DA.  
**A/N:** Originally written for the sixth challenge on the forum "Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges".

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**Sneak**

I stood there, facing the wooden door for a long time. Minutes that felt like hours had passed and I was possitive I could now recall each and every line that interrupted the smoothness of the dark oak wood. I had made my decision, so I didn't know exactly why I was hesitating. My gaze dropped to my hands as they shook uncontrollably.

Who was I kidding? I knew exactly why I hadn't already entered to Umbridge's office, telling her everything about the DA. Cho's face wouldn't leave my mind. Could I be selfish enough to betray my best friend? My mother's career was at a risk and I could save it if I collaborated with the Ministry. Professor Umbridge was not a person I would care to help at all, but my mother's job...

Times were more difficult since Cedric's death. A sense of darkness and fear constantly surrounded every member of the Wizarding community. My mum kept telling me everything would be alright if I played by the rules and I knew I hadn't been doing that the last few months. Dumbledore's Army is not really something I particularly enjoy, but I do care for Cho and her insistance that I remain in those classes coached by Potter was the only thing holding me back from telling all to that Ministry toad.

"Cho...Mum...Cho...Mum..." I muttered under my breath. Maybe making a list with the pros and cons? "Ugh...why is it so hard to decide?" I hissed softly, staring at the tall ceiling of the castle and trying to avoid the tears that burned at the corner of my eyes.

"Decide what?" I heard a high-pitched voice whisper.

It took all my will power to not scream with surprise. I turned around and saw Peeves eyeing me curiously with that evil grin he wore each time he played pranks on people.

"Get lost, Peeves," I spat, turning to face the door again. I had to remind myself to keep quiet. Umbridge was on the other side of the door and I still hadn't made a decision.

"Can't. I know Hogwarts too well to get lost," Peeves said in his annoying, singsong tone.

I took a deep breath, clutching my hands into fits, trying to calm down. Shouting at the poltergeist wasn't an option...at least this time.

"Decide what? Decide what? Decide what?" the little bugger repeated over and over again, floating around me.

"Would you knock it off?" I huffed irritably.

Something in my tone must have worked because the next minute Peeves was floating backwards down the hall. His appalled expression was emphasized by his arms crossed over his chest. I decided to ignore him when I heard him mutter, "Humans have a knack for choosing precisely the things that are worst for them".

My raised fist lingered a few inches from the door when I heard that. I remembered my great-grandmother's elf saying something like that once. Was it true? And if it was...which was the wost thing for me in this situation? Making Cho upset or betraying my family?

Sighing, I nodded to myself. Cho didn't have to know it was me... Umbridge wouldn't expose me in front of everybody in the Great Hall, would she?

Suddenly, the door opened, revealing Dolores Umbridge, clad in a purple outfit with a matching hat. Her nauseating perfume revolted my stomach a bit but I blamed it on my nerves, trying not to be distracted from my reason for being here.

"What are you doing here?" she spat. Her bitter tone was a nice change from that sickeningly sweet voice she generally used. It sounded so fake...

"I- I needed to talk to you, Professor."

I saw her frowning as she looked me from head to toes. "You're a sixth year, right?" I nodded. "I will not discuss grading with students. If you came here to discuss the last essay, I cannot-"

"No, no. It has nothing to do with the essay. I'm- I'm here to-" I swallowed hard. I fought the sudden urge to run like a chicken. "I have information," I said looking pointedly into her tiny brown eyes.

Her eyes widened briefly, shining with malice as she offered me a broad smile and pulled me into her office. The overwhelmingly tacky decorations were an insult to anyone with the slightest sense of style, but I couldn't focus much on that because the minute I sat in the chair in front of Umbridge's desk, she started firing questions my way.

"What do you know, girl? You can tell me, I won't tell a soul," she said, winking at me.

I pursed my lips at being called "girl". Not taking into account the fact that I've been her student for months now, she could have chosen another word, instead of the one that makes my skin crawl. "My name is Marietta Edgecombe," I said curtly.

"Oh, yes, yes. Of course! Rosemary Edgecombe's daughter," Umbridge said with a smile that showed too many teeth to make it believable. "So, Marietta, tell me, what do you know?"

"Well... there are some... students that have a study group... sort of."

Umbridge's eyes narrowed and I wondered if I would be punished or praised for actually knowing this. "Continue," she said as her eyes flickered quickly from me to an empty portrait.

Where would the other one be? At the Ministry? Yeah, most probably.

"They've been having weekly meetings for months now. In- in...not in a classroom."

"Not in a classroom?"

I nodded. Should I tell her where exactly?

"Where exactly?"

"It's...ermm...in a room that is not always there. It- it comes and goes," I said. Maybe it was best not to spill it all out, just give the woman a hint and let her sort this out by herself...

"Comes and goes... The Room of Requirement?" Umbridge grinned like a kid who had just been told Christmas had come early.

I closed my eyes briefly and quickly said, "Yes."

Umbridge's expression was frightening. Her fat fingers were clutching at the ends of her desk as she leaned forward.

"Who are 'they'?" she asked really slowly, almost savouring the words, and I fidgeted in my seat as I thought of Cho. Maybe Umbridge would make an exception for the informer and her friend considering how juicy my secret is. It was known that Umbridge loathed Potter...almost as much as I did. I was sure I could avoid any punishment for myself and Cho if I asked her nicely.

I opened my mouth to start listing the names of DA members, one by one, when the old clock placed in the right corner of her office chimed loudly. I looked at it and caught my reflection in an antique mirror that was almost unnoticed by the hedious decor of the room. And that was the first time I saw them. Huge pimples started growing across my face at an alarming speed. I shrieked loudly and got up from my seat, running closer to the mirror. My eyes widened as the disgusting pimples formed the word "SNEAK" across my face.

Breathing heavily, I couldn't hold back the tears. The horrible things seemed like they were about to burst but they didn't. They just stayed there, marking my face and making me look like a monster. In the back of my mind, I could hear Umbridge's high-pitched voice asking more questions and trying to make me tell her who those students were.

My head was spinning and my vision suddenly got blurry. Was I going to die? I really wouldn't mind that very much. Better that than being seen with these horrible things in public. And suddenly, it all went blank. The next thing I remembered was Umbridge casting spells on my face and some Slytherins laughing at me from the corner of Umbridge's office. Like my looks weren't punishment enough...


End file.
